Maintaining the ‘Gold Standard’

I am not one for new year resolutions because I never keep to them but as I grow in the Lord, I know for sure that I want to know him more and more and to live for him in the best way possible.

Our just concluded annual camp meeting was a fantastic time in God’s presence and I taught my first youth seminar class on ‘The Religion of Rehoboam’. This lesson got me thinking about how so many Christians let down their standards. I know for sure that I do not want to go down that path!

The story in I Kings 14:25-28 is pretty simple, Rehoboam inherited the throne after the death of his father, Solomon. In that time, Shishak the king of Egypt defeated Israel in war and all the golden vessels in the temple which Solomon made were taken away. Rehoboam replaced the stolen golden vessels with vessels made of brass.

Rehoboam could not keep up the golden standard. Gold is really valuable. Remember Solomon built the temple not by his wisdom but according to God’s specifications. Brass looks a lot like gold but is not gold, it is man-made. Brass shines like gold but is a substitute religion of men that cannot buy salvation. Brass signifies man’s religion which is noisy, cheap, does not regard God’s commandments and revelations. More so it operates by an ‘it does not matter’ ideology where there is really no standard.

It is common to see salvation being substituted for church membership, Joy in the Holy Ghost is being substituted for entertainment, the word of God is being substituted for slangs and motivational speeches, volume is also being substituted for quality. It is important to note that salvation, holiness,sanctification, repentance, heaven and the Holy Ghost cannot be substituted.

If with all your religion, you are not washed from your sins then what you have is substitute religion (Read Proverbs 30:12-13).

We must:

repent and be saved

receive the grace of God

sins must be washed away not covered

the two eternal options are heaven or hell and there is no substitute

resurrection into life or judgement which cannot also be substitute

The above options are pure gold and should not be substituted for brass irrespective of what the worlds thinks or says. In Proverbs 23:23, the Bible says we should buy the truth and not sell it for anything. Do not let down your standards for anything. In your walk with God, strive for gold and not brass.

This is how I plan to approach 2017. I will not let down my standards like Rehoboam did, I will not be a weak Christian and above all, I will contend earnestly for the faith!!!!! This is my only goal.